Chair

Media Contact

Kristin Bartholomae

Instructor

Kristin Bartholomae began teaching at USD as an adjunct professor in the Communication Studies program in 2008. She is a former admission counselor and researcher for CNN. She currently teaches Introduction to Media Studies, a foundational course which presents an overview of media industrial structures and operations.

Education

Scholarly and Creative Work

Bartholomae’s research focuses on her perspective as an admission counselor. Her thesis explored the changing contexts and evolving technical capabilities that is challenging current marketing and branding initiatives of higher education institutions in the United States. Her formal and informal observations at CNN have also focused her interest in researching the dynamics of organizational culture and structure with an eye towards connecting psychological and cognitive approaches to media use effects. Bartholomae has been invited to present her research at both the New York State Communication Association Conference and Media Ecology Conference.

Teaching Interests

In her teaching, Bartholomae focuses on the importance of media and visual literacy skills and highlights the connection between market forces, institutional logic and ethics. She also explores the multiple social contexts, global implications, and overall impact of digital technology and how that might influence the ways in which we think about political, social and economic issues. Her teaching style emphasizes practical and direct observation, so that students can learn to identify new contexts, new responsibilities and new challenges that will ably serve the best interest of democracy.